Ramon Farolan, a columnist with the Phil Daily Inquirer, in his March 22, 2021 column ” Not the Best of Times for Asian Americans,” asserted that in 2020 there was an upsurge by 150% of Asian directed racism, mainly in L.A. and New York. From verbal harassment to physical assault, in 2021, more than 500 incidents have already been reported.
In a subsequent “Letter to the Editor,” I wrote to say, “Look no further than our kababayans.”
(P.D.I., Ap. 1st ). I will explore and expand that letter in this article.
There is an unmistakable open season with Asians, with some 3500 incidents reported between March 2020 to February of this year. There were Filipino Americans in the mix, assaulted or killed by white individuals intent on a racial rampage. We are not immune in Canada. Two websites ( COVIDracism.ca and elimin8hate.org ) confirms 1,150 incidents of Asian racism in Canada between March 10, 2020, to February 28, 2021. B.C. records the highest ( 717% increase ) incidents at 44 % and Ontario at 40%. Among other findings:
– 60% of the victims are identified as women
– 74% of cases involved verbal harassment
– 11%of cases involved physical assault or unwanted contact
– 10% of issues involved being coughed or spat on.
COVID19 and the widely held belief of its origins in China are at the root of this recent upsurge in Asian hate. But it is, in my opinion, just another outlet of the simmering prejudices of White supremacists and other bigoted cohorts of the far right. They found a loud voice in Donald Trump, whose repeated labeling of COVID as “Kung Flu” and “Chinese virus” found a home in people who, throughout history, have scapegoated people of colour with all their ills.
Trump’s dismal failure to provide leadership to corral the pandemic in the U.S. was rife with scapegoating the Chinese and, by inference, the Asian immigrant population. The generally docile and differential nature of Asians were easy mark to the extremists of the far right.
To be sure, Donald Trump has a long history of white supremacist leanings, even before becoming a politician. Beginning with “Birtherism,” his presidency was all about dismantling Obama’s legacy.
OUR OBSESSION WITH NON-ASIAN PHENOTYPE
It is not difficult to hear and see our prejudices directed at Blacks, Indigenous and other people of colour. We have our homegrown rednecks, and they need not come from the boondocks. The most educated amongst us are as guilty and capable of stereotyping, name-calling, and openly prejudicial to our Asian brothers—Pakistanis, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, and others. We can be outright hostile to Blacks and dark-skinned Africans. Our constant pre-occupation judges others based on nothing more than a negative view of other cultures and personal attributes. The darker the skin, the more prejudiced we become.
Our obsession with fair skin has even become the primary adjective when describing a person ( iyung “maputi”; Maganda, medyo “maitim” lang!). According to Filipinos, all the other beautiful attributes besides fair complexion favour characteristics that are not Asian or Black. High bridged nose, blue eyes, blond hair are some that come to mind. Beauty pageants and movie personalities have been taken over by “mestizos” and “mestizas.” We seem to see less and less “morena” in entertainment circles, derisively called “Ita” by some.
Look what this mindset has done to our womenfolk. Sun exposure has become a cause of concern not because of cancer but because of a general dislike of a darker complexion. They have become the largest consumers of whitening soap and creams. It’s a pathetic sight for some whose face begins to look like a displaced Geisha, with a face out of synch with the rest of the body.
CAN WHITE SUPREMACY REIGN AMONG US?
The U.S. to Maduro ( Pres. of Venezuela) Resign! Maduro: “No way, Jose”
The U.S. to Fidel Castro ( Cuba ) Resign! Castro: “Nunca”
The U.S. to Gaddafi (Libya ) Resign! Gaddafi: “Over My Dead Body”
The U.S. to Marcos ( Philippines ) Resign! Marcos: ” I want asylum in Hawaii.”
Duterte to Trump: “You Are the Light” ( in a meeting at Malacanang )
It’s a small window of how other leaders view the U.S. instead of our more differential way with them. Indeed we have a long history of an acquiescent attitude towards the U.S.
We looked at Spain and America as “good” colonialists. Spain for bringing Christianity and America for liberating us from the Japanese. Never mind that Spain labeled us as uneducated “Indios,” and U.S. President Howard Taft ( who served as Governor-General of the colonial Philippines ) patronizingly called us “our little brown brothers.”
The early Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits missionaries from Spain in the 15th and 16th century and later, the Belgian CICM’s in the 1900s cemented our historical connections with White colonialists. Filipinos saw the American culture as a dominant, aggressive influence over our catholic inspired, obedient and subservient nature. The White culture dominated Filipinos during those early years. We were awe-inspired, even intimidated by the White folks.
Post-war (WWII ) “Made in the U.S.A” label became a coveted symbol of American dominance, tacitly assumed as “White.” The role of Blacks and other people of colour in America at that time was ambiguous at best. Worse, many Filipinos thought of the Blacks as still relegated to “plantation,” or as a “Mammy” ( the Black servant ) character in “Gone With the Wind.”
Ford and Carnegie dominated wealth building during the so-called ” Gilded Age,” and along with Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and JP Morgan, were decidedly European ( and White! ). In the 50s and 60s, there was a widespread belief that whatever comes from America trumps anything out of Hongkong or Japan and indeed all of Asia.
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME?
Early immigration to the U.S. as agricultural workers and military recruits continues our subservient role in America. Before 1971, Filipino recruits in the U.S. military ( primarily the U.S. Navy ) served as Stewards ( based on the Military Bases Agreement of 1947). Only beginning in Feb. 1971 did Navy recruits were given much broader ratings beyond the rank of SD. From the time the first 500 Filipinos were recruited in the U.S. Navy in 1901 right up through 1970, Filipino recruits were put to serve almost always higher-ranked white officers or relegated to hospitality jobs.
The story of the “Manongs” ( a term applied to the first wave of Filipino immigrants from the northern Philippines. The word is an Ilocano dialect of elder respect) of the 1920s and ’30s in the agricultural industry in California and Hawaii was a history of hardship, loneliness, discrimination, and racism of the worst kind. A story of exploitation and violence by the White landowners. During the great depression, the Manongs became convenient scapegoats. There were reports of Filipino men being dragged out and beaten, and even killed.
As in “Stockholm Syndrome,” victims of abuse begin to identify positively with their abuser. These historical and constant subserviency positions to White folks have given us a “mindset of the supremacy of whiteness.” Memetics has carried this over to later generations.
DO WE HAVE A RACIST FUTURE?
Many changes led me to believe that Filipinos’ new generation will not be like their parents. The educated generation x, y, z have more exposure to a world of mixed races. The highly successful Blacks, Asians, and other people of colour in power both in government and business have become highly visible. Celebrities and sports figures now routinely feature many personalities that used to be marginalized. B.L.M. movement is a cultural cutting edge.
The rise of Asian powerhouses ( albeit non-Filipino ) in high tech, manufacturing, and other industrial innovations have given us confidence ( kahit na “saling pusa” lang! ). Unlike the older Filipino generation of intolerant bigots, we now watch with envy their tremendous successes ( while we wait for the ” White, bearded man in the sky” to answer our prayers. Oh yea, that’s what we are celebrating this year, 500 years of myth and lore! This hoax makes me cry! ). Now we drive their cars, sail their ships, talk on their cell phones, inject their vaccines, even watch their telenovela! “Made in the U.S.A.” is “headed for the tall grass”.
Trump and his White Supremacists cohorts ( Carlson, Hannity, and other Foxhounds ) are blowing their dog whistles. ” They are taking over”! Societal evolution is catching up with reality, and these racist morons pander to the insecurities of the yokels. Choosing to ignore America’s immigrant nature, they steer up hate and bigotry in people of colour. Listening to our folks talk about the refugees in the U.S. Southern border or the Syrian expatriates seeking asylum in Canada, you would think only Filipinos have the monopoly of making a life here. It unsettles them of Mosques and Gurdwaras in their midst. Fortunately, our young people don’t give a fuck! The only ones who do are those who have a steady diet of his/her old man’s bigotry.
This brings me to a story of an eminent Filipino community leader who vehemently denies that he is prejudiced against people of colour. One day, while out on his porch, a Black dude shows up on his driveway and asks him if his daughter Kathy is ready. Ready? What do you mean? Oh, we are going out on a date tonight. After which, he turned white and lost his colour.
We can all say what we want. Talk is cheap. Until we are tested personally, we will never be sure what our culture has heaped upon us.
